Norway’s football team lose 4:0 to France

Oliver Håskjold Nyland training at the Stade de France in Paris on Monday. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen Norway’s national football team endured a 4:0 thrashing from France in Paris on Tuesday, in the latest of a string of humiliating defeats the team has seen since new manager Per Mathias Hogmø took over in September. Norway’s players held their own in the first half, keeping the pressure on France without managing to turn their possession of the ball into a goal. In the second half, however, the team visibly lost energy and force. “Football is about results and they have been miserable under Høgmo,” said TV2 football commentator Øyvind Alsaker. “We lack a striker who can score goals, and we’re also historically bad in defence.” Norway was knocked out of this year’s World Cup in the qualifying round, after it drew with Iceland on October 16, shortly after Hogmø took over. The Paris defeat began with a goal by French striker Paul Pogba, after which Olivier Giroud scored a double, and Loic Remy his first international goal since 2011. in the first of France’s The game was one of three friendly warm ups for France before the World Cup. “We are not yet ready, but there is a collective hunger and a real togetherness about them,” said French coach Didier Deschamps, who himself captained France to their 1998 World Cup victory. “It is good what we did tonight. One mustn’t lose sight of our ultimate target but our performance reflected the work we… [Read full story]